How Norse mythology shaped the modern cultureSign up
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Norse mythology is the study of the myths prevailing in Germanic countries. It is a subset of German mythology and it can be considered as the overall term for myths, beliefs and legends about the supernatural beings of Norse pagans. The mythology was orally transmitted to generations and they are widely used in the current world, especially for movies and books.

Norse mythology is the study of the myths prevailing in Germanic countries. It is a subset of German mythology and it can be considered as the overall term for myths, beliefs and legends about the supernatural beings of Norse pagans. The mythology was orally transmitted to generations and they are widely used in the current world, especially for movies and books.

Norse mythology has influenced a lot in shaping the modern culture and people all around the world. People even use the terms derived from it in their daily life and the days of the week can be considered as the best example. The names of our days from Monday to Sunday are mostly derived from Norse mythology. There is a special and a unique reason behind a particular name, if you observe it in detail like Thursday from Thor’s day and Friday from Freya’s day.

Names and characters from Norse mythology can be frequently seen in modern literature and fiction. J.R.R. Tolkein, who wrote famous books like The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion is called as one of the fathers of modern fantasy literature. Once his son has revealed to media that his father was a fan of Norse mythology and that reveals the fact that his creations were influenced by it. In the world famous Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling, there is a werewolf character by the name of Fenrir Grayback. This name has also been derived from the Norse mythology and it is a name for a great wolf in it. The creators of Marvel comics have also adopted the Norse god Thor and the god of thunder in their comics. These world famous creations help a lot for the Norse myth to spread around the whole world. Those writings have been turned into movies and the marvel comics can be found in video games. One of the ships in the movie Matrix is named as Mjolnir and it has been derived from the Norse mythology. The armor worn by the Spartans in the Halo games are also called by the name Mjolnir. Most of the strategy games including the Age of Empires can also be considered as a good example for the prevalence of Norse mythology in modern culture.

Many young people wear jewelry that are made up with Nordic runes for wealth, joy, peace and good luck. Some even adopt it for fashion and they do tattoos in their bodies. There are even asteroids named from the terms taken from Norse myth.

Norse mythology had its own definitions for many natural scenarios as well. The rainbows were believed to be a bridge leading from Midgard to Asaheim. Many music artists adopt the Norse myth in their music styles and release creations based on it. Therefore it can be considered that the Norse mythology has played a major role in shaping the modern culture and it can be assumed that it will prevail for a long period of time with this influence.